On Monday, August 26, City Council will receive a staff report that recommends specific steps to accomplish the information below including conducting a statistically valid poll, conducting a performance audit and financial forecast validation, and increasing support for communications and engagement work.
On August 19, the Salem City Council had a work session to discuss the recommendations from the Revenue Task Force, gain clarity on what they know and agree to, and what additional information is needed. This conversation lays the groundwork for our efforts to gather more information from the community.
City Manager Keith Stahley presented information that included a review of the City of Salem budget including mid-year reductions in February 2024 of $4.6 million and a final $1.8 million dollar reduction in general fund programs in the adopted 2025 budget.
Councilors were encouraged to share what they learned during the last year. Their comments clearly reflected the desire to hear more from the community and build trust. They also recognized the potential need to make difficult decisions about programming and services.
At several points in the meeting, Councilors were asked questions about their support for specific actions. A work session is a public forum for City Council to learn about and discuss critical issues without making decisions. In general, Councilors found that they:
- would like to learn more from the community about what services and programs are priorities,
- would like to learn from other cities like Gresham, how they have approached delivering services that are valued by the community,
- are interested in gaining additional information on the effectiveness and efficiency of our systems,
- would like to see better engagement and communications with the community.
Housing Authority
A new City of Salem multi-family housing project and in-pipeline hydropower projects are some of the topics at the Monday, August 26 meetings of the Salem Housing Authority and Salem City Council. The meetings begin at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers.
You can also live stream the meetings on YouTube:
In English and American Sign Language
In Spanish
Housing Authority Pursues New Multi-Family Project
Salem Housing Authority is seeking authorization to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Northwest Human Services to build a new multi-family building to serve low and moderate-income households. The Evergreen Avenue NE property would have 26 to 28 units.
City Seeks Grant for In-pipe Hydroelectric Turbines
City staff want permission to apply for a grant from the Energy Trust of Oregon to plan development of in-pipe hydroelectric turbines in two potential sites. The project is one of 183 different strategies identified in Salem’s Climate Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve resiliency against the effects of climate change.
Energy Trust of Oregon offers incentives for development of renewable energy and energy resilience projects that benefit Pacific Power and Portland General Electric rate payers in Oregon. If the grant is awarded, it would pay up to 75 percent of costs to plan development.
